FTFA: Sharov and Gordon's idea raises other intriguing possibilities. For one, "life before earth" debunks the long-held science-fiction trope of the scientifically advanced alien species. If genetic complexity progresses at a steady rate, then the social and scientific development of any other alien life form in the Milky Way galaxy would be roughly equivalent to those of humans.

This may be the dumbest thing I've read all morning. And I just got finished browsing FSTDT.

Yeah, only if your extrapolation is based only on data points that fit it and ignores all those that would muck it up (like the lungfish, the pufferfish, the ameboid Polychaos dubium, and many many more). The arxiv.org paper is a pile of garbage, and Sharov and Gordon are off their rockers.

Seriously, look at the figure in their paper and see how ridiculous it is. Then read the paper and either groan or laugh or both.